Former Arizona Students’ Association Director Pleads Guilty

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Oct. 6, 2006) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced that Maceo T. Brown, former executive director of the Arizona Students’ Association, pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and one count of forgery.

According to court documents, Brown took more than $25,000 from the Arizona Students’ Association to use for personal and family expenses between May 2003 and January 2006. As executive director of ASA, Brown managed the organization’s daily operations and its finances. When Brown was asked about some questionable expenditures, he e-mailed the ASA Board of Directors’ bank statements that he had altered by deleting some entries and changing others to make it appear that the expenditures benefited the organization.

The plea agreement includes stipulations that, if accepted by the Court, will require Brown to serve a prison term followed by a term of probation. He would also have to pay $139,926 in restitution -- $94,536 to ASA and $45,390 to American Express. If Brown pays $60,000 in restitution prior to sentencing, the plea agreement stipulates that his prison term will be 1.25 years; otherwise, the prison term could be up to 3.75 years. On release from prison, Brown will be placed on seven years of supervised probation.

Brown is in custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled before Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Keppel on Nov. 7.